What Have You Been Given?
There are many days throughout the year when we give or receive gifts. Valentine’s Day, birthdays, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, and of course Christmas. Some people who like to give gifts, give on other days “just because.”
I have been thinking about things we have been given by the Lord. Scripture has quite a bit to say about things we have been given. God is a good God and loves to give gifts to his people, more so than we like to give gifts to those we love.
First and foremost, we have been given eternal life through Jesus Christ, God’s son. John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” God first gave that we might receive!!
We have been given Jesus who is the bread of life. John 6:7: “My father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” This is Jesus speaking of himself.
God has given us the name of Jesus by which we can be saved. “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” John 6:7
God’s love has been given to us by his Holy Spirit. “God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit whom He has given us.” Romans 5:5. I like the idea of God “pouring” out his love. That sounds like an abundance!!!
Grace Received
Ephesians 4:7 says to each of us grace has been given. Grace is God’s unmerited favor. In other words, we don’t deserve it, but he has given it to us anyway! The New Living Translation words it this way: “He has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ.”
There are many more Scriptures that talk about what God has given us. I think my most favorite verse that talks about gifts God has given us is 2 Peter 1:3 NLT “Because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption.” I like to zero in on “escape the world’s corruption.” If there ever was a time that this is appropriate, it’s now.
Thinking about promises, one that stands out to me most is the promise Jesus gave his disciples as He was leaving this earth. “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:20
It would take too much space to write out all the promises we find in Scripture, but just know, we can lay claim to all of them. A chorus we used to sing in church when I was growing up is this:
“Every promise in the book is mine.
Every chapter, every verse, every line.
I am trusting in his love divine.
Every promise in the book is mine.”
Think about it. God has given us so many gifts. Not just His son, whom we talk about receiving at Christmas time, but gifts that are usable and a blessing the whole year through.
Naomi Brinkman